Evidence
by Oasis Blackmore
Summary: Ten bits of evidence lead the gullible Gabriella to a startling conclusion. Oneshot.


**A/N: So, I'm kind of on this half-conscious, half-OCD mission to write at least one fanfic titled with every letter of the English alphabet. This is E, which also starts the word Enjoy.**

Evidence

Gabriella wasn't suspicious the first time. Pretty, lovable, gullible Gabriella. He told her his skin was dry, and he had developed some sort of rash. A turn-off yes, but a viable excuse nonetheless.

The second time, Gabriella had already lent him her moisturizer, so he said it was a mosquito bite.

"That looks like a bruise?" Gabriella asked, still trusting him with all her sensitive heart.

"Yeah, I went to squish it, and I hit myself instead."

The third time, after having returned both Gabriella's moisturizer and her bug spray, he needed a really good excuse, because "Vampire" didn't seem like it was going to explain the spot where teeth had broken skin.

"Baseball?" Gabriella questioned, her subconscious starting to catch on.

"Chad was pitching." He hadn't meant to mention Chad. "You know how hard he throws."

The fourth time, Troy had already come up with an answer, no matter how unrealistic. "My mom's cat attacked me." It explained the multiple swellings and even Troy's inconveniently split lip. Gabriella kissed him to make it better.

In between the fourth and fifth times, he tried to get his point across.

"She's gonna figure it out sooner or later. We have to be more careful."

"I can't help it, dude. I get caught up."

"Me, too." They smiled.

The fifth time, Taylor had already been consulted, so Gabriella had an idea of what was going on.

"Who is it?"

"Who is who?" He knew they'd been careless.

"The girl who gave you that hickey, Troy. Who is she?" Gabriella had never looked so distraught.

What was he supposed to say?

"You don't know her."

Gabriella didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry."

"How am I supposed to forgive you?"

"I don't know."

Gabriella asked for time, and Troy let her have it, for he needed it, as well.

"She knows."

"About me?"

"About someone."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Shit."

The marks on his neck disappeared, and Gabriella used up her time.

"I'm so sorry."

Gabriella smiled acceptingly, accepting his arms around her shoulders.

"I know."

The sixth time, there was a fight and a black eye and a bloodied nose.

"I _told_ you we have to be careful!" Troy was frantic.

"F-fuck you."

Troy realized the damage he had done when he saw the beginnings of tears. "I'm sorry. Don't be mad."

Their embrace was tight.

"I love you."

"God, I know."

By the seventh time, Gabriella was already back to innocent bliss. Troy used his polo shirt to his advantage, and she only caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye.

Taylor called him on it the eighth time, when his collar moved away from his neck, revealing the scabbed-over mark.

"Who the hell gave you that?"

"Gabi?" Troy tried to make it sound obvious.

"Bull. Knock it off, or I'll tell her."

"Tay--"

"I know more than you think, Troy." She looked hurt.

Troy acknowledged that the ninth was punishment, because he brought it up:

"Maybe we oughta stop doing this."

Neither of them wanted to consider it, and the bite was a distraction.

Troy swore on his prized Johnson basketball. "It's not what it looks like. Even _I_ get blemishes sometimes."

Gabriella was hesitant, but there was no way Troy would risk deceiving her again.

Right?

There was another close call, but self-control was at hand. They were tender that time, with no risk of leaving a trail.

Slow and soft was a nice change, one not meant to last.

Troy and Gabriella held hands in the hall and cuddled outside the door before class.

Jealousy was the obvious result.

The tenth time, Troy was unaware of the hidden motive in the aggressively passionate movements.

He failed to see the message when he looked in the mirror.

Gullible Gabriella was appalled by the "C" she found welted on Troy's skin.

**A/N: Written in an abrupt style somewhat inspired by a passage I read from some James Joyce book, this fic is an aside. I ought to be working on one of my two long oneshots, but I decided to finish this instead. Review if you like.**


End file.
